Oct. 5, 2024 – As if setting the career record for assists last season wasn’t enough, Northwest sophomore Layla Dyer has now claimed another top spot in the Lady Rangers’ volleyball record books.
With her 31 digs in Saturday’s 3-1 and 3-0 sweep against Henderson State JV, the Lafayette, La. native surpassed both Kaley Rikard and Cristen Cleveland for the all-time record in digs. Dyer’s career total now sits at 602 and counting, as she also owns 263 digs for the season.
Last season, Dyer shattered the program’s single-season and career record in assists, finishing with 911 for the 2023 campaign. She is rapidly closing in on surpassing her own record, as she has a whopping 842 assists this season alone.
Dyer’s accomplishments have been well-documented, as she has earned MACCC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season and was also chosen for MACCC Defensive Player of the Week last month.
Aside from Dyer, the rest of the team is on a roll as well, as Saturday’s sweep pushed the Lady Rangers’ winning streak to 15 matches. Northwest is now 19-6 overall with the final stretch of conference play beginning later this week, first at Northeast on Monday at 6 p.m. and again at Pearl River on Wednesday, October 9 at 5 p.m.
Layla Dyer finished with 19 digs in the first of two matches against Henderson State JV on Saturday, pushing her to the new career record for digs. Dyer also owns the career and single-season records for assists. (Maylee Wilhite/nwccrangers.com)
Although Northwest scored a road win at Henderson State JV last month, the Reddies did everything but make things easy for the Lady Rangers in the first of Saturday’s two matches.
Henderson State JV came out firing right out of the gate and actually built a 19-12 lead on Northwest late in the opening set. After a timeout, the Lady Rangers stormed back with Abbey Swift on serve, tying the set at 19-19. Both teams traded blows from there and the Reddies briefly gained a 23-21 advantage, only for Northwest to get a couple quick points from Aven Mathis, earning the 27-25 opening set decision.
Tied 5-5 early in the second set, the Lady Rangers once again broke free and gained some separation with a 10-5 lead. Northwest later pushed the score to 18-11 late in the set, scoring a 2-0 match lead with a 25-15 victory.
However, Henderson State JV snatched the momentum away in the third set, jumping out to leads of 11-4 and 15-5. Despite the large deficit, the Lady Rangers fought back down the stretch, pulling within 22-19, only to fall two points short of completing the rally.
After the Reddies captured the third set, Northwest regained control, building a 12-7 advantage midway through the fourth set. The Lady Rangers pushed the lead to 18-12 and closed things out with the 25-15 decision.
Freshman Maddie Smith provided a team-high 21 kills, while Dyer was credited with a career-high 53 assists, surpassing her previous career-best of 49 set last season against Pellissippi State. Dyer also led the Lady Rangers with 19 digs, officially breaking the program’s career digs’ record during the match.
Elsewhere, Mathis and Anna Lott combined for 14 kills apiece, while Mathis added 12 digs of her own. Swift also finished the match with 13 digs and a team-high six service aces.
Much like the first match, Henderson State JV battled closely with Northwest in the opening set, but the Lady Rangers pulled away down the stretch in all three sets, earning the shutout victory against the Reddies.
Northwest opened up a 7-3 lead in the first set and led 19-12 late, only for Henderson State to close the gap to 22-18. After a quick timeout, the Lady Rangers regained their rhythm, finishing out a 25-22 opening set decision.
Henderson State JV once again rallied early in the second set, turning a 6-1 deficit to a close 7-5 score. However, Northwest slowly began to pull away once again, leading 17-12 and later claiming the set by a 25-16 victory.
Up 2-0 in the match, Northwest broke free from a 12-12 deadlock in the third set, pushing the score to 17-13 and later clinching the match, 25-17.
Smith and Lott combined to lead the Lady Rangers in kills, as the duo accounted for 25 of the team’s 40 kills. Smith led the way with 15, while Lott provided 10 kills to go along with three blocks.
Dyer once again led Northwest with 33 assists and 12 digs, while Swift and Smith provided 10 and eight digs, respectively. Claire Roberts also posted three blocks.
